On a unanimous vote, with Councilmember Brad Stein absent, the Carpinteria City Council decided on 8/14 to go forward with district elections by November 2022. After Deputy City Attorney Dylan Johnson explained the same sets of circumstances that have faced Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Goleta — a history of city councils with few Latino representatives and a perfect losing record for municipalities that fight such demands — very little discussion took place before the vote. The voting report submitted by plaintiffs Jatzibe Sandoval and Frank Gonzalez demonstrated that two Latino councilmembers had gained office since 1994 in a city now 43.8 percent Latino.
